


Chasing Pavements

by Tabbyluna



Category: Skylanders (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Female Friendship, Gay-Straight Friendship, Gen, Growing Old, Lesbian Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:41:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23731750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabbyluna/pseuds/Tabbyluna
Summary: The two of them could have a quiet life now. Skylands was in good hands, their friends had all gone elsewhere, they could retire. And yet, they never do.
Relationships: Nightfall & Punk Shock
Kudos: 1





	Chasing Pavements

**Author's Note:**

> I want to do more gay girl/straight girl friendships. Because ships are cool and all, but sometimes I wanna write friendship. Also, I feel like it would be good for my mental health to not constantly engage in fandom through ships.

Punk Shock filled two small glasses with an amber-coloured liquid, and gave one to Nightfall. “Cheers,” she said, raising her glass. Nightfall lifted hers slightly, and then they both downed their drinks.

“Another one?” Asked Punk Shock, picking up the glass bottle again. It was some pretty cheap booze, all things considered. It had the burn of cheap alcohol. The sour, strong flavour which really wasn’t that tasty. But even though she could get something better than what convenience stores sell - her siblings were always offering her money and asking for her to come back home - there was something about buying things solely with the money you earned which felt infinitely more satisfying. The first time she did that, she felt a sense of fulfilment she had never experienced in her life prior to that point. And she swore back then that she would never ask her family for any sort of money. Not when spending your own earnings felt so good.

Nightfall handed her her empty glass, and shifted around in her seat as she waited to have it back. Above them, the lightbulbs flickered, and Nightfall made a mental note to go and change it when they had the time.

The two of them found their little hideout years ago, back when they were assigned a mission together. Ever since then, whenever they finished a successful mission together (which usually happened whenever they were dealing with menaces in the ocean), they would head together in the Sea Shadow towards a little decrepit wooden hut on a tiny island, and have a few drinks with each other. Over the years, they repaired the roof, got the electricity running, and even brought in some chairs and a table. But they never told anyone else about their hideout. It was their secret.

After Punk Shock handed her the filled glass, she asked the first question of the evening. “What do you think the other girls are doing now?”

Nightfall had to pause and think for that one. Most days, she didn’t like to think about what everyone else ultimately decided to make their lives. Though she had to remind herself daily to respect their choices, their decisions, their anatomy. She placed her glass on the table, and drummed her fingers on the table. “Hopefully, living their best lives.”

If she had to choose a point when all of it started to change, she would say it all began when Head Rush got a lover. After a visit to her hometown, she began writing letters to one of the boys. Everyone knew about it. Then one day, he came for a visit and proposed to her. She had a wedding. They were all bridesmaids. She had a kid. And then, she decided to retire.

Then Ninjini had to retire. Not because she found a lover, but because Tree Rex got too injured to carry on as an active field agent. He, along with all the other Giants decided to retire together. Like the comrades that they were. They planned on heading elsewhere in Skylands to train new heroes, so that Skylands did not place all their eggs in one basket. Ever since they left, no one had seen them. Though on occasion, Dive-Clops did get a letter. And eventually, he hopped off to join his brother in training young heroes. He too, was never seen again.

Then Stealth Elf needed to retire. Her masters were all getting old, and she needed to leave to take care of them. Slowly, the Skylanders they had bonded with and befriended over the years left for one reason or another. Some got married and started families. Some found a different calling for them to spend the rest of their lives chasing. And some left to rule kingdoms, or they had finally found loved ones. There was no need for them to be in the Skylanders anymore. And for some, they had a grimmer fate. They visit their graves every year.

They got replaced by newcomers, and though they as veterans always tried to be welcoming, they never truly became terribly close to them as a group. When they were younger, and looked up to the Giants, they had always wondered why they, while friendly, usually kept among themselves instead of mingling frequently with the other Skylanders. Now they understood. 

“You know, I do hope that the kids don’t think we’re deliberately excluding them,” Punk Shock said. 

“They’re pretty happy in their own groups though. Although I have to admit, it is a little weird to finally be one of the older ones.” When she was young, she saw Thrillipede and Jet-Vac as the grandfather figures she never got growing up. But in hindsight, Jet-Vac was a bit of a loner. And Thrilipede did make it a point to spend his free time with Buzz. The older they got, the more their behaviours began to make sense. While they appreciated the new takes and new ideas the younger generation brought with them, there was something comforting about being with the people you shared most of your experiences with.

The two of them downed their second drink, and Punk Shock refilled their glasses again. “Do you ever wonder what life would have been like if we had chosen to settle down early?”

Nightfall thought about that often, so she nodded. “I guess the first difference to my life is that I would probably be resting on a beach somewhere with Stormblade as my wife.” She traced her finger around her glass, and laughed sardonically. 

Over the years, when they were both in active service, Nightfall found herself slowly falling in love with her friend and rival. Most days, she dreamed of what life would look like if they were together. She envisioned a house near a beach. Including a place for them to keep and maintain their vehicles. Despite her dreams, she never made a move. Slowly, Stormblade fell in love with Splat. They had a happy wedding. And Nightfall was the maid of honour. 

After their wedding, they made plans to explore a few uncharted regions of Skylands together for their honeymoon. Both of them were beginning to burn themselves out, and they needed to take a break. On their trip, they found orphans, adopted them, and left active service permanently to become mothers. Nightfall was asked to be their godmother. And while she loved her godchildren and remained on good terms with Stormblade and Splat, looking at them together as a family still kind of stung. 

“Mm…” Puck Shock gave Nightfall two sympathetic pats on the back. 

“How about you? I told you all about Stormblade, but you don’t really talk about your hopes and dreams as often as I do. I’m curious, what do you think you’d be doing?” Asked Nightfall. Punk Shock took a sip of her drink, and then thinned her lips, thinking about her response.

“I guess…” She began. “I guess I don’t really talk much about my dreams because honestly, I’m not really sure what else I would have wanted to do.” She paused. “When I was young, I didn’t want to be a Princess because where I come from, Princesses and Queens only had one role, and that was producing heirs. They don’t even get involved in raising the kid after a certain age. Afterwards tutors and nannies take charge over them. All the important politics were handled by the Kings and Princes, and I wanted to make some sort of difference. Being in the Skylanders already helped me achieve that goal, I’m making a difference everyday, but now that I am making a difference, I’m not really sure what else I want.”

Nightfall nodded, and both ladies took a sip from their drinks. Outside, a strong wind was blowing, which rattled the tiny wooden hut. This time, Punk Shock made a mental note to replace the boards with something sturdier. 

“Well, I suppose I wouldn’t mind settling down with a guy. We could explore Skylands, and I could write a book about hunting. I could advocate for equality in my kingdom…” She mused. “But, well, I’m still a Princess. My family would probably hunt me down and tell me that it’s my duty as the oldest Princess of my generation to produce a child with the man I chose to marry. They won’t stop until I do it, and I don’t want to deal with that.”

“Not a fan of child-rearing?” Asked Nightfall.

“Not at all.” Punk Shock shook her head. “I don’t think I can raise a baby well at all. Plus, to me, pregnancy just sounds awful. I just… I just don’t think I can stand going through something like that.”

The two of them sat in silence for a while. The wind still howled around their hut, and their glasses still half-filled with alcohol. “I suppose the both of us could just retire. We are getting pretty old, after all.”

But there was only one issue. If they really did retire, they could probably never sate their wandering spirits. Their souls longed for activity, for a goal to accomplish, for things to do. If they were to retire without a plan, and spend the rest of their lives aimlessly enjoying socially acceptable activities for the elderly, they knew that they would both go crazy. They both needed something to do, something to work towards. And if they stopped themselves from constantly chasing after goals, souls such as theirs would be better off dead. And so they keep moving, fighting, chasing a path with no clear end.


End file.
